Shock absorbers are used in conjunction with automotive suspension systems to absorb unwanted vibrations which occur during driving. To absorb these unwanted vibrations, shock absorbers are generally connected between the sprung portion (body) and the unsprung portion (suspension) of the automobile. A piston is located within a pressure tube of the shock absorber and the pressure tube is normally attached to the unsprung portion of the vehicle. The piston is normally attached to the sprung portion of the vehicle through a piston rod which extends through the pressure tube. The piston divides the pressure tube into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber both of which are typically filled with a hydraulic liquid. Because the piston is able, through valving, to limit the flow of the hydraulic fluid between the upper and lower working chambers when the shock absorber is compressed or extended, the shock absorber is able to produce a damping force which counteracts the vibration which would otherwise be transmitted from the unsprung portion of the vehicle to the sprung portion of the vehicle. In a dual tube shock absorber, a fluid reservoir or reserve chamber is defined between the lower working chamber and the reserve chamber to also produce a damping force which counteracts the vibrations which would otherwise be transmitted from the unsprung portion of the vehicle to the sprung portion of the vehicle.
Shock absorbers filled with hydraulic liquid have met with continuous success throughout the automotive industry. While meeting with success in the automotive industry, hydraulic liquid filled shock absorbers are not without their problems. One problem with these prior art shock absorbers is that they are not sensitive to the frequency of the vibrations. Complex systems have been developed to modify these liquid filled shock absorbers to provide a shock absorber that is relatively soft for high frequency vibrations while being relatively stiff for low frequency vibrations. Other problems associated with the prior art hydraulic liquid filled shock absorbers include the variability in their damping forces due to temperature changes of the hydraulic liquid. As the temperature of the hydraulic liquid changes, the viscosity of the liquid also changes which significantly affects the damping force characteristics of the liquid. In addition, any aeration of the hydraulic liquid during operation of the shock absorber adversely affects the operation of the damper due to the introduction of a compressible gas into a non-compressible liquid. Finally, the hydraulic liquid adds to the weight of the shock absorber as well as presenting environmental concerns regarding the use and disposal of a hydraulic liquid.
The continued development of shock absorbers has been directed towards shock absorbers which do not use a hydraulic liquid for their damping medium. The replacement of the hydraulic liquid medium with an environmentally friendly gas medium provides the opportunity to overcome some of the problems associated with the hydraulic fluid damping medium shock absorbers.